Three things that delay IBS recovery & what to do about them

 Living with IBS brings many challenges.

After 34 years of working with IBS sufferers, here are three things you can do that can make a positive difference to IBS Recovery

Many people living with IBS often find their thinking changes, and their hopes and expectations alter over time.  From the early days of hope, gradually changing to expecting the worst!   It becomes more difficult to see possibilities for change, but they are there to be grasped.

Expecting things to get worse.

When the negative mindset becomes normalised, it creates a sabotaging effect on any hopes of improvement in your IBS Recovery.  Expecting the same thing day in and day out, the IBS symptoms slowly getting worse, you may have read about such things happening to other folks on bulletin boards and support groups.

But there are things you can change to help yourself, starting with understanding the expectation of IBS recovery which is a major requirement for getting well again.

 

Negative Expectations:

Negative expectations can hinder IBS recovery. If IBS has been in your life for any length of time, it may be the case that you won't have the emotional energy to get well again. By that, I mean you may not have the energy you need to take part in your recovery. And if that wasn't enough, if you believe things aren’t going to get any better, they surely won't!

But the good news is that you can make changes that will help you build positive expectations, rebuild your emotional energy to help in your recovery, and reinforce your beliefs for IBS recovery. 

I have been helping IBS sufferers since 1991, and still do to this day. Read about my experience working with thousands of IBS sufferers over 34 years. And that of users of my IBS Audio Program 100, which is used worldwide.

Disappointment

Many IBS sufferers will be able to identify with their disappointment with new medications, new therapy, new diets, new protocols, new ideas, weird ideas - but worth a try, along with other options too. 

The hope you attach to your new approach to IBS recovery is initially promising, but you've been there before. 

Often, the new medication, therapies, and diets start well, with high expectations.

But then, after a few weeks or months, the same, familiar niggling little doubts kick in. Things aren’t going as well as hoped. But you persevere to the best of your ability, until it becomes another thing that has failed! And often it is a costly failure both financially and emotionally.

The reason failure is so commonly frustrating is often because of the three reasons mentioned earlier.

• Your Expectations
• Your Emotional Energy levels
• And your Belief System

Let’s take each one in turn:

Expectations

You either have negative, positive, or no expectations depending on where you are in your IBS recovery journey.

Let’s take the situation where a person has had IBS for some time, let's say 6 months. However, the longer they have had IBS symptoms, the more likely the following applies, but more deeply.

During that short time, IBS symptoms may get worse; not only do the physical symptoms get worse, but the emotional ones too, and over time, the symptoms not only continue to get worse, but they become more frequent, and they become more troublesome. Why is that? 

The IBS is the same, so something has changed to make the symptoms worse and more frequent.

The thing that has changed is your expectation. The expectation of having the symptoms becomes the accepted normal way of thinking. You start to expect the pain to arrive, expect diarrhoea, constipation and/or urgency,  you expect to need the bathroom when you’re out. And you expect whatever symptoms your type of IBS variant brings into your life.   

And what happens?

Yes, the expected pain arrives and gets worse. The expected symptoms include diarrhoea or constipation, urgency, sweats, and other symptoms, as well as cramping and bloating, which are all expected and arrive as anticipated. This creates a circle of negativity over time. The expectation deepens the symptoms, and the symptoms reinforce your negative expectations. 

The ever-decreasing spiral has begun!

Here is a good example of the mind-body connection. Every thought you have creates a physical response. Your expectations trigger responses. So, you might argue that the mind and body are doing exactly the right things given your expectations. Of course, you don’t want the symptoms; who would?

But the subconscious is hearing a different message and responding accordingly, and doing a good job delivering!

You need to change your expectations, but you can’t do that because it's unlikely you have the emotional energy to feel better now.

That ever-decreasing spiral of negative expectations drains emotional energy, too, which in turn leads to lower physical energy.

This makes getting through the day more challenging, so there is less chance you have the energy to change your ingrained expectations.

You might have experienced times when you have had an easy day physically, yet still feel so tired that all you want is to get to bed and rest. If so, that is an indication that your emotional energies are running low, so let’s understand emotional energy levels.

Emotional Energy Levels - Imagine a Balloon!

Emotional energy often takes a little time to drain. It's like stabbing the flabby bit below the knot of an inflated balloon; there is no big bang, just a gentle yet steady emotional deflation.

 I have seen this so often in my 39 years in hypnotherapy practice. The emotional and physical deflation has been ongoing in my patients' or clients' lives for some considerable time before I meet them, or they begin working with the IBS Audio Program 100.

The symptoms and the emotional and physical energy used in managing IBS are draining. Life is difficult enough without having to deal with IBS, and yet you have to keep going. And you do. 

But there is a price to pay!

All IBS symptoms, physical and emotional, drain your emotional resources. Life, in general, drains you, so it’s important to get good sleep to help you recharge your inner energy.

But what about at nighttime?

I have met many people who find that IBS wakes them up at night. When they aren’t doing anything except sleeping, or are they?

When we sleep, our brain processes the day’s events, filters, and stores memories and experiences. And what is a big part of your day - IBS! 

So, the nightly processing, internal filing, and filtering that occur while we are asleep likely trigger responses to IBS, which may wake you up. The more this goes on, the less you expect any IBS recovery!

More disturbed sleep means less energy is stored for the following day, making it another expected difficult day. The ever-decreasing spiral continues!

Imagine these inner energy resources being similar to a core pot of energy, and a battery pack, and lastly an emotional reserve.

Every day life and the burden of IBS drain your core emotional pot of energy. Your subconscious then recognises that your energy levels are going down, so it transfers some backup energy to keep you going for the day.

Just a matter of time

Sooner or later, the symptoms get more severe and frequent, and you can’t rest as quickly as you once could. Over a relatively short time, you might find that you are feeling drained again.

When this happens, the subconscious recognises that your core pot of energy has gone. Your emotional battery pack has also been used, so all you have left is your emotional reserve.

From my experience with IBS sufferers, using this emotional reserve is recognised by being irritable, with weepiness becoming more commonplace.

Consequences

Draining energy levels causes us to become tired more quickly. We may not want to socialise, work, play, or laugh as much. We might want to sleep more, but we don’t get the benefit of the sleep we take. This leads to fatigue and exhaustion.

You may become more introverted. Failing to spend time with or show patience to those you love and care about can lead to relationship problems.

Confidence

• Confidence levels and self-esteem begin to drop.
• Memory and concentration levels are not adequate.
• Sleep patterns become further disturbed.
• IBS may affect your reproductive system. Interest in the physical side of relationships may be low or nonexistent.
• If you go out, you may want to come home sooner than you expect.
• When people come to see you, you might want them to leave sooner.
• There may be times of intolerance and weepiness, along with other issues.
• Feelings of dread, restlessness, and impatience, too.

All because the emotional reserve is low, the battery pack is empty, and the core energies are just ticking over.

It's all about being human!

All of the above is simply about being human, and they are natural outcomes of your draining emotional energy.

But it is important to understand that you can change this, you can change the way you think and feel, and the way you behave, once you know how to. 

All that matters is the present, the moment in which we are living, right now, not the past or the future, just this moment. 

As you get stronger and find new ways of thinking, you can use some of your growing inner energy to make positive changes to the way you think and feel. And seeing things in a new way, even if the picture hasn’t changed, you can learn to see them through different eyes.

The first step:

The first step is to take a deep breath and do something about it. Although it may not be easy at first, this is an essential decision in your life. You either decide to do something different and work towards feeling better, or do nothing!

It is as simple and as honest as that.

Wise choice

If you have got this far in your reading, you will likely make the wise choice. 

Once you have made that decision, the next step is to tap into that core pot of energy and find a way to prevent your emotional energy levels from draining away. In effect, you have to put a metaphorical plug in the core pot.

By doing that, you begin to store the energy once again, and that energy flows back into the emotional battery pack and then into the emotional reserve.

This is the first step in your journey to IBS recovery.

It also gives you the energy to use, in learning new ways to think and feel, to see things in perspective and most importantly to take part in your healing.

So, the first two things that hold you back, negative expectations and the draining of energy levels, need to change. 

But to change them, you have to understand your belief system. Continued focus on negative expectations, and diminishing energy levels, will hamper your chances of recovery, if don’t change your belief system.

Of course, this and the other two take a bit of time and effort, but it is time and effort well spent. 

So, you need to examine your belief system; for the purpose of this article, I am only talking about the IBS belief system. 

Belief System

You have tried lots of different things, and many, if not all, haven’t been beneficial in the longer term. This creates a belief system that leads you to think you'll never find anything to help you.

You will continue to stagger from one potential solution to another without really believing you will find your answer, and when you think this way, you are simply going through the motions. 

Self-Sabotage

The problem is that you may be sabotaging your progress in everything you try because you don’t believe anything will help you. That needs to change. 

When IBS has been in a person’s life for any length of time, it can be challenging to combat negative thinking.

The constant worry, frustration, pain, and preparation for the day.

The ongoing concern of being caught short, having a bowel accident in public.

Being too far from a restroom while out shopping

or, the embarrassment of your loud stomach grumbles, repeatedly during a meeting or social event.

In addition to the stresses and anxieties of life, the demands of IBS all take a toll.

The list goes on

The world seems to be closing in, even when it comes to deciding what clothes to wear, because you know there's a good chance (and perhaps expectation) that your stomach will distend during the day.

Explaining to your family, friends or co-workers why you have been away from work or school. college, the embarrassment of it, and then there is the intolerance of non-sufferers, with remarks such as -

• "You have been to the bathroom 5 times already", or
• "I have IBS and I get on with it",
• there may be tuts, rolling eyes, heavy sighs.

All these, and other comments, make a dent in confidence, too.  People can be cruel without intending to be so!

All these things or even just a few of them take energy, they dent belief systems; drain energy, and create a negative expectation toward IBS recovery.

Eating Patterns

For many IBS sufferers, eating patterns may have changed, and foods may be blander, maybe less nutritious, adding to the ongoing issues of IBS.

Fasting during the day and having a binge at night is not a solution. Still, you might feel it gets you through the day with a bit more confidence. 

However, you should avoid famine and binge eating.

The connection between mood and food is well recognised, and its importance for health should be respected, not to mention the impact on your digestive system!

All the above compound the emotional and physical aspects of IBS, too.

But please do not give up!

Over the years, I have seen amazing strength and determination in so many people. Once they begin to understand the problems of negative expectations, low energy levels, and the power of belief, they start to see how to change things.

And many of them do, getting stronger, controlling their thinking and feelings and ultimately the IBS symptoms reduce, become less severe, less frequent, and that has to be good!

These Three Things

These three things are often left out of the IBS recovery dialogue, and I’m not sure why. Maybe they are overlooked by health professionals or not deemed important, but dear reader, my 34+ years of working with IBS sufferers tell me different. 

I believe these three things need to be addressed because, without them, there is no energy to build a foundation for moving forward or creating a positive belief system.

We know for sure that the mind-body connection is real, so the sooner it is used positively, the better.

Of course, I would like you to try my IBS Audio Program 100; it is a gently structured hypnotherapy program that has been helping people around the world manage IBS since 1998. You can also contact me to work with me on a one-to-one basis.

However, whatever potential solution you try next, take some time to think about your;

Expectations, Emotional Reserves, and your Belief System.

Expectations. 

1. Take some time to look at your IBS expectations. How negative are your thoughts about IBS? Negativity can creep up on you, so don’t be surprised if you are more negative than you expected. 
2. Ask yourself how you can change them negative thoughts to positive ones.
3. If you are trying something new, remember you have no history of failure because you haven’t done it before. Change your thinking and you change your outcomes.
4. Whatever you work with next, expect to enjoy it and work with it. If you do have a knock-back, remind yourself that everything you can do today is a result of getting it wrong in the past. From walking and talking to Maths and English, you had to learn, and getting things wrong adds to the learning process. 
5. Never worry about getting something wrong while you're learning. 

 

Emotional Reserves.

1. Just recognising that these emotional reserves exist is a positive step. You may interpret them in your own way, whatever fits your thinking process, but knowing they exist will help you guard and protect your energy. 
2. To help build them, consider learning to say yes and no, and to fit where you want them to fit, not where others want them to fit. 
3. Consider establishing boundaries and sticking to them. Remember that you have to live your life; no one else can do it for you, nor should they be allowed to.
4. Be patient; once your energy is drained, it takes a little time to build it up again.

 Belief System

1. Believe in yourself. If you believe you can, there is nothing to stop you from achieving the things you want to achieve. 
2. Believe in your talents, gifts, and skills. 
3. Apply your positive expectation, believe you can make a real difference to your emotional reserves, and protect them.  
4. With a little patience, perseverance, and effort, you can make positive changes in your IBS thinking. Remember mind and body work together!

Positive changes like these that you bring into your life translate into positive physical responses and positive thought patterns.

Aiding IBS recovery. The mind and body connection will begin working with you and for you, and help you with IBS symptom reduction. 

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About the Author 

Michael Mahoney is an award-winning clinical hypnotherapist and author of the highly acclaimed IBS Audio Program 100, available in MP3 Download or Immediate Streamed version.

The IBS Audio Program is a structured, step-by-step IBS protocol.  We have users in over 45 countries since 1998. Tried and trusted.

 

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 © Copyright Michael Mahoney 04 August 2022 - 10 September 2025

 

 

 

 

 

The information is shared to be informational, and is my personal opinion; if in doubt, consult your health professional. Outcomes for any treatment options may vary from person to person.

Note: IBS Recovery in this article refers to improved management of IBS symptoms.  At the time of writing, medical professionals do not view IBS as curable. However, given that little is certain about the exact cause of IBS, and limited medical IBS treatments are available to health professionals, it is natural that they should be of that opinion. However, how can they claim a cure if they don't know what causes the condition in the first place? While there is much conjecture, the jury is still out! However, none of this detracts from the fact that for over 40 years hypnotherapy protocols have existed, and been proven time and again to significantly reduce IBS symptoms and frequency of presentation, for some becoming symptom-free. Some hopeful signs are emerging.